Comic Relief funding brings new help for young schizophrenia sufferers at Winchester

WORKSHOPS for young adults with schizophrenia will start next month thanks to Comic Relief funding.

Voices Unique is a series of five workshops run by mental health experts taking place in Winchester.

They offer a safe environment for people between the ages of 18 and 25 to talk about their experiences.

Founder Zannell Neethling, 27, of Kingsworthy, started hearing voices and hallucinating when she was 20.

Now a full-time volunteer, she was diagnosed with psychosis schizophrenia and spent five years trying to find the best treatment.

While visiting various centres across the UK, Zannell met a young girl also diagnosed with schizophrenia and was finally able to talk about her experiences.

This friendship inspired her to build a community for young people who hear voices.

The first workshop is on Saturday and will run every first Saturday of the month after. There are limited spaces so anyone interested must complete a referral form on www.voicesuniqueco.uk and send it to The Colebrook Centre, Winchester.